The 2030 Regional Waste Plan is both a vision for greater Portland’s garbage and recycling system and a blueprint for achieving that vision. The Plan includes a robust framework for tracking progress. Annual progress reports track performance, mark successes, observe trends and identify areas needing improvement.
While there’s still a lot of work ahead, much has been accomplished since embarking on this journey to improve the regional garbage and recycling system.
Highlights from the Regional Waste Plan progress report - January 2023
This report is the second in a series of annual progress reports and covers the calendar year 2021.
Metro brings people together to improve the garbage, recycling, reuse and repair system. Three years in, the work to implement the plan continues to elevate collaboration between Metro, city, county and state governments, community-based organizations and private sector service providers. In 2021, local government and community partners made significant progress in the areas of:
- Inclusive prosperity,
- Reducing product impacts,
- Strengthening systems for recovery,
- Providing equitable system access, and
- Preparing for emergencies.
The report underscores the region’s collective progress toward the strategic priorities in the Regional Waste Plan. All told, over half (59%) of the 108 actions in the plan are currently underway. Of the 40 some actions focused directly on advancing equity, nearly two-thirds are in process or completed. Among those are actions that focus on culturally responsive education and outreach and equitable collection standards and services.
Many of the indicators measured since the first report show progress. These include increases in the median wage for BIPOC and frontline staff and in the share of BIPOC employees in managerial and professional positions at Metro. Also, more BIPOC students were reached in waste prevention education programming and more recycling materials collected in the greater Portland area were sent to domestic end markets.
Previous Reports
Regional Waste Plan Progress Report – January 2022
This report is the first in a series of annual progress reports and covers the calendar years 2019 and 2020.
Featured highlights:
- Metro’s Investment and Innovation grant program fosters economic opportunities and other benefits for communities of color and other marginalized communities. Since 2018, the program has given 41 grants totaling $8.5 million which leveraged an additional $18.2 million in cash and in-kind support.
- Fourteen youth have received paid internships at Metro through the Youth Leadership Program that emphasizes opportunities for youth of color and other marginalized communities.
- Metro and local governments contributed significant time and effort bringing a much-needed equity focus to Oregon’s Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act. The new act updates Oregon’s laws to create an innovative system that works for everyone.
- Partnerships with the North by Northeast Community Health Center, Centro Cultural, and Trash for Peace provided paid training and support for residents to become leaders in waste reduction in underserved communities. The 68 people who became Environmental Promoters helped over 18,000 people learn about waste reduction, hazardous waste disposal and community advocacy skills.